Department Of Cell And Developmental Biology
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Research Snapshot: First-ever gene expression map of an entire nervous system completed; researchers share data to expedite research into genetic defects affecting the brain
David Miller and Seth Taylor push genetic research forward by leading the completion of a gene expression atlas for the entire nervous system of the nematode C. elegans Est. reading time: 1.5 mins. Read MoreJul 26, 2021
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A compound to counteract aging?
A compound that increases lifespan in yeast is offering clues to pharmacological approaches that might slow the aging process and improve health. Read MoreApr 29, 2021
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Class of 2021: Interdisciplinary teamwork in the lab leads Ph.D. student to job with biotech giant
After graduating with a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Alissa Guarnaccia will begin a rare postdoctoral research position with health care biotechnology giant Genentech. Read MoreApr 9, 2021
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Genetic clues in eye birth defect
Sabine Fuhrmann and colleagues have discovered a novel underlying cause of coloboma — a birth defect that causes missing tissue in the eye and accounts for up to 10% of childhood blindness. Read MoreFeb 18, 2021
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Trans-institutional collaboration receives $2 million BRAIN Initiative grant, developing brain organoids to map neurological development
Researchers will combine expertise in developmental cell biology and tissue engineering/microfluidics to develop highly complex organoids, with the goal of understanding currently incurable neurological disorders. Read MoreFeb 1, 2021
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A protein that can melt tumors discovered at Vanderbilt
For the second time, cancer researchers at Vanderbilt have discovered a protein that—when genetically manipulated to impede it from interacting with a gene responsible for cancer genesis—effectively melts tumors in days. Read MoreJan 27, 2021
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Cell and Developmental Biology hosts weekly seminar series
The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology hosts a weekly seminar series most Mondays at 12:15 p.m. CT via Zoom. The weekly seminars are on cutting-edge topics in cell or developmental biology as well as stem cell and epithelial biology. Visiting speakers are invited from a variety of institutions throughout the U.S. Read MoreJan 22, 2021
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WIN for blocking cancer growth
William Tansey and colleagues identified proteins that interact with the cancer drug target WDR5 and are important for cancer cell growth. Read MoreJan 21, 2021
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Vanderbilt microscopist receives Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grant to expand access to imaging technologies
Bryan Millis, research assistant professor of cell and developmental biology and biomedical engineering, has been awarded a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Imaging Scientists program. The proceeds will go toward building an immersive virtual education platform to expand instruction and accessibility of high-end microscopy techniques within and beyond the Vanderbilt research community. Read MoreDec 2, 2020
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New therapeutic target for lung cancer
Vanderbilt researchers have identified a new molecular partner — and potential therapeutic target — in a signaling axis that drives lung cancer. Read MoreNov 12, 2020
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Preserving gut mucus architecture
A new method that keeps microbes and gut cells together will be useful for studies of complex host-microbe interactions and for analysis of clinical specimens. Read MoreOct 20, 2020
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Possible COVID-19 “decoy”
It might be possible to use vesicles carrying the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to bind the virus and prevent infection. Read MoreOct 15, 2020
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Factor involved in stomach injury response identified
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified a key factor that coordinates the body’s repair response to severe injury in the stomach caused, most commonly, by infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Read MoreOct 15, 2020
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Researchers create molecular ‘atlas’ of GI tract neurons
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have generated the first comprehensive molecular “atlas” of genes expressed by the neuronal cells within the intestine that coordinate the functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Read MoreOct 8, 2020
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International collaboration with Vanderbilt scientists sheds light on rare exocyst mutations that cause severe developmental disabilities in children
Mukhtar Ahmed, Christian de Caestecker and Ian Macara, in collaboration with geneticists from Australia and Italy discover novel mutations in the Exocyst, providing new understanding of a critical cellular protein complex. Read MoreSep 14, 2020
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Vanderbilt team works across disciplines to replicate cellular filament behavior for the first time, shedding new light on a fundamental cellular process
Cell biologists, physicists and computer scientists use computational modeling to pinpoint the components that shape cell behavior. Read MoreSep 8, 2020
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Vanderbilt research shows stimulating tuft cell production reverses intestinal inflammation
Single-cell and multisystem analysis leads cell biologists at Vanderbilt to new understanding of rare cells, with potential inflammation-reducing therapeutics for Crohn’s disease and IBD patients. Read MoreAug 28, 2020
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A “torque” for tumor blood vessels
Vanderbilt scientists have discovered a new target for normalizing tumor blood vessels to improve cancer immunotherapies. Read MoreAug 20, 2020
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The importance of estrogen cycles
Deborah Lannigan and colleagues identify a key regulator of the estrogen receptor and suggest that its downregulation by oral contraceptives may increase oxidative stress and DNA damage, a common cause of cancer. Read MoreAug 6, 2020
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Keeping beta cells “fit”
Vanderbilt cell biologists are defining the factors that help beta cells in the pancreas stay healthy, secrete insulin and prevent diabetes initiation and progression. Read MoreJul 9, 2020